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They should’ve expected this to happen but, nonetheless, it was a shock to both Kat and Adena.
It was a week after Scarlet published Adena’s article. Since then, her work was being seen by so many more people. It was great. Adena had never been happier. People from all around the world were complimenting her art, she had other young Muslim women who happened to be LGBT come up to her and thank her.
She didn’t think anything could ruin her day. Especially since she was spending it with Kat Edison, her crush—friend, her friend.
My, oh my, was she wrong.
Adena was wrong because, when Kat and her were walking down the street, minding their own business, talking and laughing, a man walked up to them.
“Well, if it isn’t the fag,” the man said, glowering at Adena.
Adena froze. She’d endured this kind of thing before, with some family, some friends, bosses. Never before, though, had she been confronted like this in the middle of the street.
She had forgotten the baggage coming out to the world came with.
Homophobia at every turn.
Kat laughed in astonishment, shaking her head incredulously, “Hi, yes, excuse me?”
Adena grabbed Kat’s hand with her own shaky one and tugged at Kat, whispering, “Kat, it’s fine. Let’s just—let’s just go.”
Kat follows along, glaring at the man.
She would’ve kept following had the man not spoken again.
“That’s right, you better run, you terrorist! Fucking fag!”
“Ha, yeah, no,” Kat mumbled, turning sharply around.
Adena didn’t follow, though. No, she was rooted in her spot. Shaking, from top to bottom. Adena knew she’d have to deal with this kind of stuff. She’s not afraid of it. Like she said before, she’d come out to the whole world. And she did.
But after a week of positive responses, a week of happiness, she wasn’t prepared to have it all come crashing down by this man. Not in the middle of the street, not when people were stopping and surrounding them and watching.
Not now.
“—and another thing!” Kat screamed at the man. “If you ever say something like that to anyone ever again, I will crucify you on every social media platform ever invented. You won’t be able to leave your home. Understood?”
The man shrugged and stumbled backward, “Yeah, whatever.”
Anyone could tell he was terrified. Good.
Grumbling, Kat walked back to Adena, “That fucking bastard.”
Adena was still standing their, although her shaking had decreased.
“Woah, hey, Adena, are you okay?” Kat asked.
Adena took a deep breath in, “Yeah, I am fine. Just a little shaken.”
Kat nodded worriedly, “Okay. Let’s get you back home, huh?”
Adena nodded and smiled and they began their trek to Adena’s home.
The entire walk was filled with one thing and one thing only, Kat’s angry and incredulous rant about the man.
“I can’t believe someone would say that to you!”
“Who the fuck says that shit in the middle of the street?”
“Does the man have no heart? Compassion?”
“I can’t imagine how you feel. I’m just livid!”
“I wish I could’ve punched the asshole…”
Adena laughed somewhere during the rant and said, “Kat, it’s almost like you’re more offended by the words than I am.”
Kat blushed and shrugged.
Adena smiled and shook her head.
She mumbled, “Something you want to tell me?” And laughed.
Something went off in Kat’s head. She was definitely way more affected than Adena. Sure, Adena was in shock but she’d gotten over it. Well, as much as she could. She’d had worse thrown at her.
Kat, though, she couldn’t understand why she felt the way she did. It wasn’t just feeling offended for Adena, she felt attacked on a personal level.
Some things started to make sense.
When they arrived at Adena’s home, Kat floundered, not knowing whether she should just come in or not.
“What are you doing?” Adena smiled and tilted her head. “Come in, sit down. Do you want something to eat? Drink?”
Kat almost said you.
What the fuck? Kat thought.
“I’ll have a glass of water,” Kat said, still lost in her thoughts.
Adena was puzzled by Kat’s sudden change in demeanour but left to get the water nonetheless.
Kat may have watched Adena walk away.
Sitting there, on Adena’s couch, existential crisis on it’s way, Kat actually thought things through. How she’d been acting since Adena arrived. Her sudden protectiveness of a woman she had only known for two days at the time of Adena’s imprisonment. The snapchat—snapchats—she sent Adena. Her reaction to that man calling Adena a fag, how she felt like she, too, was being called out.
By the time Adena came back to give Kat her water, she’d come to a conclusion.
“Holy fuck, I’m bisexual,” Kat said in dismay.
“Um,” Adena stumbled with her words, putting the glass on the table, “is…okay?”
“Sorry, sorry,” Kat laughed, still in shock, “I just came to the sudden realization that I am in fact not a proud hetero.”
Adena was thinking one thing—I knew it!—but she didn’t say it out loud.
“What,” Adena paused, “how’d you realize?”
Kat chuckled, “Funny story.” She hesitated, not knowing how to continue.
Eventually, she decided to just go for it, “You.”
Adena raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t realize until now but…the way I feel about you…it’s definitely not just friendship,” Kat mumbled, looking down shyly. “Plus, when that guy called you—called you a fag—I just, I felt like it was an insult to not just you but me, too? That really tipped the realization scale.”
“Oh,” Adena said.
Kat immediately wished she hadn’t said a word, “But like you said before, you’re not into me anyway so what am I even saying, right? You probably don’t want to deal with this, judging by that sound you just made. I’m just—I’m going to go. Yeah, go. I’m—I’m going to leave.”
Kat bolted up and walked quickly to the exit, “Just forget I said anything, yeah?”
“Wait!” Adena shouted. “Wait, I lied when I first met you.”
Adena ran up to Kat, smiled, and whispered, “And I was just in shock before that the girl I like felt the same way about me.”
“Oh,” Kat said as she started to smile.
Adena laughed, “Oh is right.”
Kat stared into Adena’s eyes and swallowed, “Can I—uh, can I kiss you, Adena El-Amin?”
Adena grinned and nodded, “Of course you can, Kat Edison.”
And so they kissed.
Maybe Adena was wrong about being wrong because her day—her life—definitely just got better.